Vietnam war Flashcards
why was weakness of the USA important
despite the technological advantage, the US tactics were useless against the Vietcong as they could hide and be aided by villagers making the Vietcong seem to be an “invisible enemy”, leading to a morale drop
why was weakness of USA NOT important
although aerial attacks had limited success, helicopters were useful in removing soldiers from the jungle and quickly carried over 400,000 injured US soldiers to hospital
why was strength of North Vietnam important
ideologically and in terms of morale the Vietcong had the advantage and with good leadership under Ho Chi Minh and general Giap they were all united under a single cause; the liberation of their home from foreign invaders, while the US soldiers just wanted to survive
why was strength of North Vietnam NOT important
the missile complexes provided by the USSR were second hand weapons, produced in the 1950s and largely obsolete and didn’t work
why was weakness of south Vietnam important
the corruption, lack of unity and inefficiency in the south led to continued military failures, giving the Vietcong a further advantage
why was public opinion important
without public backing, soldier morale began to drop and many became completely unwilling to fight in something so immoral that the public didn’t support
why was public opinion NOT important
the size of the anti-war movement was greatly exaggerated and while young people were opposed, much of Americas adult population still supported the war effort
why was isolation important
due to isolation, America was financing the war alone which was negatively effecting the economy
why was isolation NOT important
USA did receive aid from key Asian allies such as south Korea who gave 300,000 troops which showed that the USA was not completely isolated
